Tameside union official slams MP's over ignorance on Benefit Sanctions!

MANY of Charles Dickens' characters, have become archetypal English types. This is no less true, when we look at English politics. The Pecksniff's and Podsnap's, Gradgrind's and Bounderby's, seem to be prolific in the Tory party and in the House of Commons. Some of these MP's, seem to have fallen straight out of the pages of a Dicken's novel.  The character of John Podsnap, who appears in 'Our Mutual Friend', has become a model for English middle-class pomposity, complacency, and condescension, and represents a person who cannot face up to unpleasant facts.  

There was a great deal of humbug and 'Podsnappery' on show during the debate on the 'Benefit Claimants Sanctions Bill', which took place in the House of Commons on 2 December 2016.  The level of ignorance that was displayed by some MP's and their refusal to face up to unpleasant facts, was quite astonishing.  While it was apparent that some Tory MP's swallow the official drivel about sanctions, others had clearly put their consciences in cold storage.  Not only have people been driven to hunger and food-banks because of unfair sanctions, they have also been driven to suicide.

Despite repeated assurances by Tory stooges that benefit sanctions have had a benign effect on claimants and have not driven people to suicide, in 2014, it was reported that the DWP had carried out '60 peer reviews following the death of a customer' since 2012. A 'peer-review' is triggered when suicide or alleged suicide is 'associated with DWP activity'.

In a letter sent to four MPs, including Angela Rayner, the MP for Ashton-under-Lyne, Brian Bamford, Secretary of Tameside Trades Union Council, condemned the appalling level of ignorance and indifference that was displayed by some MP's during the debate on Benefit Sanctions.  He wrote:

'I don't suppose that any of us should be surprised to hear this sort of thing. Even in the mid-1860's, when according to reports, people were dying of starvation in the streets of London at a rate of about two a week, there were plenty in the House of Commons, who denied it, or dismissed it, as the work of providence - the poor will always be with us.'  Read More...

Members of Tameside TUC have been protesting every Thursday against benefit sanctions outside Ashton Jobcentre since August 2014. For further information call Steve on 0161 338 8465 or email starlord@starlord-enterprises.freeserve.co.uk

Are the lights going out across Tameside?

By Steve Starlord

 

Does anyone out there know where I can buy a Coal Miner's head-lamp? Or perhaps a 'Holman Hunt' lamp for Christmas? It is pretty isn't it? It's a detail from the famous painting by Holman Hunt - The Light of the World! I thought about buying a powerful torch, but that would be difficult to hold while carrying bags of heavy shopping and my 'Death to the Work Programme' placard, while traipsin the streets of Tameside in semi-darkness.

 

Every week Tameside Unemployed Workers Alliance help to shine a light on the injustices taking place at Ashton Jobcentre. All the while Tameside Council willingly help to snuff-out what little light remains in the area, presumably to save money. Methinks they've got their priorities all wrong.

 

One full year has passed by since I last wrote to Tameside Council about street lamp outages, the majority of which have gone un-repaired. Now why is that? I begin to suspect the Council of operating a deliberate policy of leaving street lamps out when they fail, and of turning some off when perfectly fine.

 

It would be interesting to hear what the Council have to say about this. I could be forgiven for thinking my last email had been ignored, but for the fact that several street lamps were quickly repaired, while yet others, were more slowly repaired, and many others left permanently out. I assume the Council did these repairs because I'd told them? I was, however, otherwise ignored, for all my questions went unanswered. Shame on you Tameside Council! 

More dodgy goings on at Ashton Jobcentre!

LAST week, we heard a complaint from a 19-year-old girl (Stacy) from Ashton, who had gone to Ashton-under-Lyne Jobcentre to accompany her friend (Rebecca) to an interview. Although her friend suffers from epilepsy and severe depression, she was told she would not be allowed to attend  the interview to support her friend also aged 19. 

We understand that the Jobcentre told Stacy that it was impossible for her to attend the interview because it would breach 'confidentiality'.  Consequently, Stacy had to wait outside the building for just under an hour, while her friend was interviewed. 

We often hear complaints from people at Ashton Jobcentre that they have been refused permission by Jobcentre staff to accompany a friend to an interview.  This frequently occurs even when the DWP client is suffering, like Rebecca, from health/mental health issues.  Yet, guidance to staff working for the Department of Work & Pensions (DWP), make it clear that: 

'Claimants accessing DWP benefits and services can have someone to accompany them to act on their behalf.'  And, 'Claimants can have a variety of people accompany them such as Representatives, Appointees, Corporate acting bodies or Personal acting bodies.'

As this sort of thing is happening on a regular basis at Ashton Jobcentre, the issue needs to be raised with the DWP and the local MP, Angela Rayner.

More Grim news from Ashton Job (sanctions) Centre!

I doubt I have ever encountered people who can stoop so low as some of the people who work for Jobcentre Plus. Some of these people really are fucking scum - Podsnappian. They are are so low, that they could crawl under a snakes belly wearing a top hat. Every week that we protest outside Ashton-under-Lyne Jobcentre, we never fail to be astonished at some of the ghastly stories that we hear from Jobseeker's about the shabby and inhuman way in which, they have been treated. The Tory government and the DWP, really have taken out an insurance policy against pity.

It brings to mind a remark made by the character Lebezyatnikov, in the novel 'Crime and Punishment', by the Russian novelist, Fydor Dostoevsky, who says to the drunken civil servant Marmeladov, that "Science had declared compassion a social evil and that this notion had already been put into practice in England were they have political economy."

This absence of compassion was evident today when we spoke to Lisa, a 44-year-old lady from Ashton-under-Lyne, who has been deprived of her Disability Living Allowance (DLA),  because she missed an appointment. Earlier this year, Lisa became very ill with double pneumonia, kidney failure and sepsis. She spent over two-months in intensive care and three weeks in an induced coma.

After her discharge from hospital she was booked in for a home visit to discuss her transfer from DLA to PIP but she was later told that she would have to attend an appointment in person in Rochdale. Unable to attend the meeting because she was still unwell, the Jobcentre stopped her DLA payments, in spite of her explaining her circumstances and backing this up with evidence.

It really does make one feel ashamed to be an Englishman. This is the sort of workhouse mentality that one would expect to find in the pages of a Dickens novel and not modern England, the sixth richest nation on earth. We understand Lisa is appealing the decision and has spoken to her MP about her case.

Leader of Greens at Ashton Jobcentre protest!

Natalie Bennett - Green Party Leader

GREEN Party leader, Natalie Bennett, came to Ashton-under-Lyne on Tuesday to support a protest that has been taking place outside Ashton-under-Lyne Jobcentre, since August 2014, against unfair benefit sanctions and benefit cuts.  However, it is unlikely that you will read about this in Tameside's only local newspaper, the Tameside Reporter, now exclusively owned by New Charter Housing Trust Limited.  Yet, we are reliably informed that the press were briefed about Ms. Bennett's visit to Ashton yesterday, but as usual, were conspicuous by their absence. 

Councillor John (Wag) Taylor, the Deputy Leader of Tameside Council, was spotted skulking about across the road from the Jobcentre, observing the events that were taking place.  When invited to join the protest, he declined, saying that he was busy doing his shopping and was off like a rat up a drainpipe.

Councillor Taylor, a.k.a. (el Cabron), has voiced criticism on social media about the Jobcentre campaign and Green Party member, Charlotte Hughes, a leading figure in the campaign, calling her 'The Bag Lady'.  Apparently, Taylor thinks that Ms. Hughes, a self-employed single-mother of five, should spend her free time looking for work rather than protesting outside the Jobcentre against benefit cuts. 

We might well ask, when Councillor Taylor, intends to come off the public purse and get himself a proper job?  For the last 30-years, he has been a full-time Labour councillor sponging off the taxpayer.  No doubt, this wouldn't look good on anybody's CV, but as they say, people who live in glass houses, shouldn't throw stones!

Cllr. John ( 'el cabron') Taylor's Spanish Villa Casa Azul

We do wonder what is happening to the Labour Party today?  Although the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn, has vowed to fight the Tory government's austerity policies, the Labour controlled Manchester city council, recently tried to imprison seven people who had been living in tents to highlight the plight of the homeless in Manchester.  Rough sleeping in the area has risen 150% in the last five-years.  This case was rightly thrown out of court by Judge Allan Gore, who said the council's case was fundamentally defective.  Dismissing the council's case, he said:

 'there is no dates, description of behaviour or identification of which allegations are made against which defendant.  That is a fundamentally misconceived and inappropriate way to advance criminal proceedings when the council ... seeks to commit people to prison.' Striking out the council's application, he said the council must foot the bill for the defendants legal costs, which could amount to many thousands. 

Although the Labour Party now says it is committed to fighting austerity, Labour council's across the country, have collaborated with Tory government cutbacks at every step.  With the election of Corbyn, the time is now ripe to throw out these Labour Party carpet-baggers who are in it for the money, and put in their place, people who believe in socialist values.  If Corbyn's Labour Party are fighting austerity, when are the local Labour council's going to join in?  Trying to imprison courageous people who fight the government's austerity policies, was an appalling act of incompetence.  We call on Sir Richard Leese to resign!

Man Arrested At Ashton Jobcentre Following Suicide Threat !

We have received reports that yesterday (Wednesday 9/9/15), a man walked into Ashton-under-Lyne, Jobcentre, at approximately 4.00 pm in the afternoon and was seen to pour a liquid over his head and threaten to set himself alight. We understand that the incident may have been linked to the man having had his benefits previously sanctioned by staff at the Jobcentre. Witnesses report that the building was immediately evacuated and the emergency services summoned, including the ambulance and fire services.

Today, at around 2.15 pm, police officers arrested a further man (see above picture) inside Ashton Jobcentre. When asked about the circumstances of the arrest, a police officer, politely declined to comment.

Are Ashton Jobcentre acting like NAZI's?

EVENTS at the Jobcentre in Ashton-under-Lyne, get murkier by the day. We understand that only last week a meeting took place in Ashton between P.C.S. union representatives and two invited activists who have been campaigning against the governments iniquitous sanctions regime outside Ashton Jobcentre, for the past 12 months. The meeting was initiated by Annette Wright, a union official of the P.C.S union and President of Manchester Trades Council, and Evan Pritchard, a lay branch official from the Greater Manchester Unite Community Union.

Although the P.C.S. union is officially committed to support initiatives that seek to undermine and expose the 'draconian sanctions regime that exists in Jobcentres', it seems that much of the time was taken up in admonishing Charlotte Hughes, a leading figure in the campaign.

Sources have told us that the P.C.S. area representative for Stockport and Tameside, who was present at the meeting, made it abundantly clear that he was vehemently against working with groups opposed to sanctions (contrary to P.C.S. union policy) and expressed the view that he had no sympathy with the plight of the unemployed or those who opposed sanctions.

Ms. Hughes, a 'hardworking' single-mother with four children, who runs a blog - 'The Poor Side of Life', a weekly diary of events outside Ashton Jobcentre - was asked to remove items from her blog concerning Ashton Jobcentre and the P.C.S. union. The irate Stockport P.C.S. official also demanded that she remove all references to Jobcentre Staff  "only doing their Job" as he insisted this had Nazi connotations!

Over the last 12 months, Ashton Jobcentre has repeatedly made petty complaints to the police in a vain attempt to get protesters arrested. The police indicated some time ago that they felt that this was a waste of police time as it was not unlawful to engage in peaceful protest. Despite this, the Jobcentre have persisted with their petty complaints and have even threatened protesters with an injunction.

"Okey cokey pig in a pokey" - Ashton Jobcentre gets uppity over protesters placard!

The weekly protests outside Ashton-under-Lyne Jobcentre, have attracted the attention of various media organisations, but not the local press in Tameside. The only local newspaper now in business in Tameside, the Reporter and Chronicle, is owned by the housing company, New Charter Housing Trust Ltd under the guise of 'Piccolo Communications'. The housing company, which has close links to Tameside Council, also owns Tameside Radio and are involved in delivering the 'Troubled Families' agenda with the council. Under this initiative, the Conservative Government have identified 120,000 'persistently anti-social families'. However, it later emerged that this figure was actually a measure of social deprivation and not behaviour. Unemployed single-parents, have been designated 'troubled families' by Ashton Jobcentre and referred to the scheme because they were not considered to be doing enough to look for work.

On Thursday, researchers from NINELIVES.media.co.uk, called at Ashton Jobcentre and spoke to protesters. They are making a television documentary for Channel 4's 'Dispatches', about welfare and benefit reforms and want to speak to people in receipt of in-work state benefits about how reforms are affecting them. Anyone who is receiving JSA, Universal Credit or Working Tax Credits, and wishes to speak to 'Dispatches' on a 'confidential basis', should contact - Jessica Bell or Jane Drinkwater directly on 0161 832 2007 or jessica.bell@ninelivesmedia.co.uk and jane.drinkwater@ninelivesmedia.co.uk

Many people are often unaware of the extent to which state welfare is being used to subsidise poverty pay in Britain. Today, only one-in-eight people who are receiving housing benefit, are not in work. In other words, people who are in work, are often unable to pay their rent because they are not paid enough. State benefits have become the prop for the failure of capitalism to deliver decent jobs and wages. Since 1980, unemployment has averaged more than three-times the post-war rate, while the proportion of those in low-paid jobs, has doubled to over 20%. Britain is the only country in the G7 group of leading economies where inequality has increased this century. (Credit Suisse - annual global wealth report - October 2014, P.33). Yet, while many of us have got poorer, this has coincided with a boom in the number of rich and super-rich in Britain. Those people who can least afford it, have paid the price for the man-made financial crisis caused by the bankers and politicians.

Even people who work in the Jobcentre are not immune from poverty pay. According to Mark Serwotka, the General Secretary of the PCS trade union, some 40% of his members who work in the Jobcentre, do qualify for the state handout Universal Credit, because they are "fantastically low-paid." Yet these very same people who are in receipt of state benefits, are often the ones, who vilify claimants and stop their benefits in order to meet government sanction targets.

With the introduction of the Tories 'Universal Credit' (UC), things are likely to get a lot worse in terms of personal scrutiny, regulation, and control.  One aspect of Universal Credit, is what is termed 'conditionality', and this will have implications for anyone who is in work and is claiming Universal Credit, JSA, or Working Tax Credits. As with the unemployed, people in receipt of in-work benefits, will be required to attend regular Jobcentre interviews and could face sanctions (loss of benefits), if they fail to carry out directions given to them by the Jobcentre, such as being required to look for better paid work or to increase the hours that they already work.

Some Jobcentre staff in other areas of the country, have been disciplined for not sanctioning enough people on benefits and opposition to the Government's harsh sanctioning regime is growing. At the last PCS conference, it was agreed that PCS members would be encouraged to support local groups campaigning against sanctions and would support initiatives that sought to undermine and expose, the draconian sanction regime that exists in Jobcentres. However, this is unlikely to make much of an impression on staff working at Ashton Jobcentre, who have been heard boasting in the local Caledonian pub in Ashton, about the number of 'dole-ites', they have sanctioned that week.  On Thursday, one diminutive and stroppy female member of staff, came out of Ashton Jobcentre accompanied by a G4S security guard and admonished a demonstrator, for carrying a PCS placard, which she objected to. "I know who your are" she told the burly protester. With hardening attitudes like this, it seems likely that these protesters are in it for the long haul. 

Ashton Jobcentre, New Charter Housing and Tameside Council, join forces to bully single mothers on benefits!

You really couldn't make this up. But in the delusional world of Tory welfare reform, anything is possible. It seems from a recent report that Ashton-under-Lyne, Jobcentre, are now targeting single mothers and re-branding them as 'troubled families', in order to get  people people off benefits or into work.

Under this bizarre scheme, which came to light when a single-parent jobseeker told protesters outside Ashton Jobcentre that she'd been assigned a social worker, because it was claimed she'd not done enough to find work, she was referred to a scheme called 'Troubled Families Wave 2 Joint Investment Agreement' being run by Tameside Labour Council in Greater Manchester. The scheme which is a joint effort between Tameside Council, Ashton Jobcentre, and New Charter Housing, assigns to single mothers, a social worker and key worker, who watch and monitor them until they find work.

Seemingly, Tameside Council have agreed to work with a minimum of 1,750 'troubled families'. In return the government provides a £1,000 fee per family. In addition, a further £800 result fee is provided to an agency which is to be 'New Charter Housing Ltd'. It is understood that tenders were not invited as no other outside agency was allowed to apply.

Nowadays, there is no shortage of tricks being used by Jobcentre staff as they are forced to hit 'targets' set by the government. In jobcentre parlance it is known as 'spinning plates'. However, using social workers to monitor and watch single-mothers now designated 'troubled families', seems to have worrying connotations. As social workers have 'statutory powers', we could see single-parents having their kids took off them if they don't do enough to find work.

For more about this story see above link.

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